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Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Mughal Emperor Akbar

Mughal Empire ruled the subcontinent from 1526 to the beginning of the British Raj in 1858.Babur's (1st mughal emperor in India) victory at panipat in the year 1526 initiated Mughal raj in India.Well this post is not about Mughal history.This post is about Akbar-most sophisticated and successful Mughal Emperor.There are many firsts under his rule; equal respect to different religions, against casteism and most importantly- Akbar not only tolerated religions other than Islam, he encouraged
interfaith discussion and debate. After listening to many religious
scholars from the prominent religions of his empire (i.e., Islam,
Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, and, to a lesser extent Jainism, Christianity
and Judaism) he decided that no one faith was entirely and exclusively
true; he developed a syncretic religion which he called Din-i Ilahi,
"the Divine Faith" and encouraged his subjects to follow it. It combined
elements primarily from Islam and Hinduism, but also from
Zoroastrianism, Jainism and Christianity. While it never gained a real
following, it promoted many universal values found in these religions,
including compassion, piety, abstinence and prudence. It forbade
celibacy and animal slaughter. Another religion that was developing
at the same time, but gained a large following and continues to this
day as one of the world's great religions is Sikhism, which also blends
elements of Hinduism and Islam.

Below are powerful words spoken by Akbar and it gives us insight about the Emperor; his charisma, his thoughts, his leadership, his men, his rules, his intelligence, his dominance, his hard work and lot more.This words are just coaxing me to know more about him.....

27 Jamada al-Thany, 1433 My Dear Omrah,
The words of kings resemble pearls; they are not meant for every ear.
So listen as you seek the 'true north' in this sea of all-pervasive
turmoil. Our grandfather, the defender of the faith who rests in
paradise, Jahiruddin Muhammed Babur Mirza, was often a king without a
kingdom, but the fire of ambition burning in his heart steeled his will
to conquer the lands beyond daria Sind. The cruel showers of adversity
made him not cynical, but wise and he wrote, "All ill, all good in the
count, is gain if looked at aright." We, the Sublime Radiance, believe
monarchs should be ever intent on conquest. If not, those upon throne of
wrath and vengeance will have enemies rising in arms against them. Make
your mothers' milk resplendent by growing the boundaries of your
empire.

Be magnanimous, but if your magnanimity is taken for weakness, be
decisive. A powerful clan of Uzbegs who did not let the ever-vernal
flower of union and cordiality bloom was pardoned twice by us. Still,
they would not cleanse the fountains of disagreement and the third time,
committed the treasonable act of proclaiming Muhammed Hakim, our
step-brother, as their king. We had them trampled to death.

Believe in luck but take your chances. While storming the fort of
Chittor, on the night of Tuesday, 23rd February, 1568, we saw a regal
Rajput supervising repairs. We lifted Sangram, our favourite gun, and
shot him down. The unlucky man happened to be General Jai Mal. One lucky
shot turned the cold winter of defeat into the spring of victory.

We, the Star of India, made powerful allies, so that wheel of the
Mughal Empire could roll on with their help. As antagonists, Rajputs
could be angry wasps, as Rana Pratap was, but they could be invaluable
as allies. Though racial and religious considerations are important in
our times, they are never as important as political considerations.

When the sword of the tongue is drawn, it inflicts deeper cuts than the
sharpest blade. The harder the bow is drawn, the more the wood
complains. As the rigours of the empire grow, there will be revolts.
There were no less than 144 revolts against us. There will be times when
those close to your heart will cross swords with you. Do what is
needed, but treat them with respect.

When Bairam Khan,
our mentor, fought with us and was brought in our royal presence after
his defeat in battle, we raised him from the ground and embraced him. We
made him sit to our right-hand side, as had been the rule when he was
prime minister.

The nine Stars who bestow their advice on us are
our most precious jewels. In 1589, when Raja Todar Mal submitted a
petition asking for permission to resign so that he might go to the
banks of Ganga and spend his last breath remembering God, we agreed, but
realised our folly. We immediately sent admonitions saying that no
worship of God was equal to the soothing of the oppressed, and that it
would be better for him to spend his least breath in serving man and to
make that the provision for his final journey. It's another matter that
he turned back but died on the way.

All Padshahs need a
great Munshi, and we chose Abul Fazl. We put on his shoulders the task
of chronicling our reign, and he wrote with a pen perfumed with
sincerity the account of the glorious events and of our
dominion-increasing victories. And when one of our testicles was
lacerated in a deer hunt, the application of the medicine was left to - who else, but the writer of the book of fortune.

Overlook defects if the Farzand is worthy of being in your presence.
Raja Todar Mal was our manager of money, possessing a sharp intellect
for the ins and outs of political and financial affairs, but we did not
like his pride. Would that he had not been spiteful and revengeful so
that a little opposition would cause dislike to spring up in his heart.
But in spite of these defects, if we look to the nature of men in
service, in diligence and skill, he was a man such as is seldom seen. We
personally consoled him when his idols were lost while moving camps and
when he abandoned sleep and food.

We never reveal ourselves to
anyone. Some days we can be honest and candid, but in reality we are
close and self contained with twists of words and deeds ever so
divergent from the other, and most times so contradictory that even by
much seeking one could not find any clue to our thoughts. Even our
closest observers know no more about us on the last day than they know
on first.

Never let fall from the hand, the reins of self
control. We allow no sloth or idleness to find its way to us. We wake up
three hours before day break. We eat once a day and leave before we are
full.

We are busy with work till late at night. Bring reforms constantly, as
new problems arise from new regulations. Two major reforms we carried
out were creation of a centralised bureaucracy and a standard of
military grading. Though the royal revenues increased, our 2000
mansabdars and their followers consume 82% of our annual budget as their
pay. But then, all empires are sustained on a machinery of coercion.
We were illiterate but we had an insatiable thirst for knowledge. We
have 24,000 volumes in our library and books are read to us regularly.
Some of our distinguished Amirs are distinguished scholars.

For example, Abdur Rehman,
the Khan-i-Khanan, is fluent in Persian, Arabic, Turki, Sanskrit, and
Hindi. When we first ascended the throne, Omrah numbered 51, all
non-Indian muslims. By 1580, their numbers increased to 222, nearly
half-Indian and including 43 Rajputs. Be inclusive. Be firm with the
great, kind to those of low estate, just to all men, high and low,
neighbour or stranger, so that every man believes the king is on his
side. We were sent into the world by providence to live and labour, not
for oneself but for others.
We have set down of good and bad
whatever we know, concerning kinsman and stranger: of them all I have
set down carefully the known virtues and defects.

Babur's victory at Panipat in 1526 established the Mughal Empire and ended the reign of the Delhi Sultanate.The rise of the great Mughal dynasty in India

1530 - 1556

Humayun succeeded his father Babur and became an emperor in India.Humayun
was defeated and dislodged by insurrections of nobles from the old Lodi
regime. In 1540, the Mughal domain came under the control of one of
those nobles, Farid Khan Sur, who assumed the regional name of Shir Shah
Sur.
Humayun died unexpectedly at the age of 48 when he fell down the steps of his library in his haste to obey the muezzin's call to prayer.

1556 - 1605

Akbar, the most sophisticated Mughal commander and leader, was only 14 years of age when he succeeded his father Humayun.

1605 - 1627

Jahangir succeeded his father , Akbar.

1628 - 1658

Prince Khurram was 35 years old when he ascended the throne as Shah Jahan (King of the World).

1659 - 1707

In the summer of 1659, Aurangzeb
held a coronation durbar in the Red Fort where he assumed the title of
Alamgir (World Conqueror). After a bitter struggle with his three
brothers, Aurangzeb was the victor who took the throne.

1857

Bahadur Shah II, the last Mughal emperor, was deposed in 1858; India was brought under the direct rule of the British Crown.
The end of the Mughal Empire.

Bibliography-

~The Penguin History Of Early India: From The Origins To AD 1300 - By Romila Thapar (2003)